Chocolate-Covered Chocolate Mint Cookies

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 - 1 cup butter.
2 large egg yolks
1 1/2 tsp. peppermint oil
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 pounds bittersweet chocolate

Place the flour, cocoa, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into your stand mixer's bowl fitted with the steel whisk attachment. Add the 3/4 cup of butter and mix on high speed to cut the butter into the dry ingredients. Add the egg yolks, peppermint oil, and vanilla and pulse until a dough forms. If the dough is having a hard time forming after massaging it a bit with your hands, add more butter! (butter solves everything)

Remove the dough from the stand mixer and shape into a 2-inch-thick log. Wrap in plastic wrap or parchment paper and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or overnight.

Place racks in the middle and lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Cut into 1/4-inch-thick disks and arrange 1/2 inch apart on the baking sheets. Bake for 10 minutes. Switch the baking sheets from top to bottom and rotate from front to back and continue to bake for another 3 to 4 minutes, until the cookies are light brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on racks. Make sure to let the baking sheets cool between batches. Do not handle the cookies until they are cool, or they'll break; they're very delicate.

Melt and temper the bittersweet chocolate (see additional notes below). Keep the chocolate warm while you dip the cookies.

Cover a work surface with parchment paper. Dip the cookies one by one in the chocolate, using a fork to turn them over and then lift them out of the chocolate. Set the dipped cookies on the parchment. Allow to cool completely, then store in an airtight container.

This recipe was inspired by Oprah's version

Tempering chocolate can test your temper!! But it is an important step in order to protect the appearance of the chocolate, especially if you plan to freeze them. Without tempering, the chocolate can appear blotchy and modelled. 

The instructions I found the most success with are the instructions communicated by Fine Cooking accessed here.

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and Happy Baking!!

Rich Quinoa Chocolate Cupcakes

This rich, moist chocolate cupcake rivals any chocolate cake recipe out there but because the recipe uses quinoa in replace of flour, the cupcakes are gluten free. Yet you can serve up these tasty treats and no one would suspect a thing. There is no hint of quinoa at all, just simple sweet, rich chocolatey goodness. I have previously enjoyed this cake on its own for a good chocolate fix but I topped these cupcakes with whipped cream and fresh Ontario strawberries!

This recipe receives a one-whisk rating because I did not use a stand mixer for the recipe. Mainly because I was not at home and did not have access to Artie. The recipe however does require a food processor or blender and some whipping machine (i.e. a handheld mixer) if you plan to make the whipped cream yourself.

1/3 cup white quinoa

2/3 cup water2 Tbsp and 2 tsp cup milk2 large eggs1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract3/8 cup butter, melted and cooled3/4 cups sugar1/2 cup cocoa powder3/4 tsp. baking powder1/4 tsp. baking soda1/4 tsp. salt
approximately 2 cups whipped cream

sliced fresh strawberries, or other fruit

* This recipe has some strange measurements because I divided this recipe in half to make a small batch of cupcakes rather than 2 slab cakes. The recipe above is easily doubled to make more!


Bring the quinoa and water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Cover, reduce to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and leave the covered saucepan on the burner for another 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork and allow the quinoa to cool.

Combine the milk, eggs and vanilla in a food processor. Add the cooked quinoa and the butter and continue to blend until smooth.

Note: As I was just tying this out, I realized I had accidentally omitted the butter from the recipe entirely! Yet we ate the cupcakes last night and they were fabulous... so apparently they don't need the 3/8 cup of butter. Go ahead and add it but it may just be adding unnecessary calories and fat! 

Whisk together the sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Add the contents of the blender and mix well. Divide the batter into greased or paper-lined cupcake tins. I used silicone cupcake cups to achieve the fancy scalloped look and greased the little cups well so I would be sure to get the cupcakes out after baking. 

Bake on the center oven rack for 18 to 20 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove the cake from the oven and cool completely in the cupcake cups until gently popping them from their cups. 

Add a dollop of whipped cream and sliced strawberries!

Spinach Galette with Wild Mushrooms

When ever we have friends over for dinner, I typically spend a day or two pouring over food blogs and websites. I love jumping from blog to blog. One blog will lead me to twenty others. I could (and have) spent hours getting lost in the posts. I found this recipe on Yummy Supper and thought it would be perfect for our vegetarian guests.

I think next time I would add some garlic to the filling mixture to give it that extra little kick. Otherwise, it was a deliciously fresh and light meal that went perfectly with our quinoa salad.

Crust 
1 1/2 cup all purpose flour 
pinch of sea salt
5 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cubed
6-7 tablespoons ice water


Filling 
12 packed cups spinach leaves
1/2 cup sliced leeks
3 tablespoons olive oil
sea salt
2 cups fresh wild mushrooms (Chanterelles or Hedgehogs are delicious here)
1 cup grated Parmesan
1/4 cup coarsely chopped Italian parsley

Crust 
In a stand mixer bowl, add flour and salt. Attach the flat beater. Turn on briefly to mix. Add cubed butter to the flour mix and mix on speed 5 or 6. Blend until butter is clumped in pea-size bits. As the mixer continues to mix, add the 6 tablespoons of ice water. Turn the mixer off and squeeze the dough with your hand. If the dough sticks together, cracking slightly at its edges it is done. If the dough does not stick together well, add an additional 1-2 tablespoons. The ideal dough just sticks together, is slightly cracked, and rice-sized flecks of butter can be seen sporadically.

Ball up the dough and wrap with plastic wrap. Let sit in the fridge for at least one hour and as long as two days. 

This recipe receives a three whisk rating. When it comes to pastry, it is always easier in the stand mixer. While the mixer was getting the butter down to pea-size bits, I was moving around the kitchen to get the ice water - very helpful and time-saving!

Quinoa Chocolate Cake

I have died and gone to cake heaven! At first I had fears that putting quinoa in the title would suggest that it was a weird-tasting cake imitation. But let me assure you, this is chocolate cake in its finest. Now, I am happy to include the word in the title - if this recipe can so easily pull of a healthier version of the classic then why not celebrate its fantastic ability to do so!!  This recipe comes from one of our favourite Quinoa cookbooks, Quinoa: The Everyday Superfood 365. 

The cake by itself is delicious enough. I am going to experiment with some garnishing and icing options but for now I am happy just to savour the cake on its own.

INGREDIENTS

2/3 cup white or golden quinoa
1 1/3 cups water
1/3 cup milk
4 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla abstract
3/4 cup butter
1 1/2 cups white or cane sugar
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

INSTRUCTIONS

Together in a small saucepan, Bring the quinoa and water to a boil. Cover, reduce to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Turn off the heat and let the saucepan sit on the burner for another 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork and allow the quinoa to cool.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly grease two 8-inch round cake pans. Line the bottoms of the pan with parchment paper.

Place the butter in a microwave safe dish. Microwave just until melted. Let cool for a few minutes so as to let the butter cool slightly. In the meantime, combine the milk, eggs, and vanilla in a blender. Add 2 cups of the cooked quinoa and butter. Mix until smooth.

Add sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Add blender contents to the sugar mix. Mix well. Divide the batter between the two prepared pans. Bake on the centre rack for 40 to 45 minutes or until a knife, inserted into the middle, comes out clean. Let cool completely. Frost if desired.

Store in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 1 week or freeze for up to one month.

I had a difficult time understanding the recipe's instruction on the butter. It said to add 3/4 cup butter, melted and cooled. I was impatient and didn't want to wait for the butter to cool from melted so at first I added butter that was quite soft to the blender. Joey however was concerned the butter would go chunky this way. So I put the butter back in the microwave, melted it thoroughly and put it in the fridge for a bit to cool. In the end I figured the most important part of all of this is not to add piping hot butter so as to potentially begin cooking the egg. If its soft enough to blend and cool enough not to cook the egg, you are good. 

This recipe earns one whisk - I did not use my stand mixer for any part of this recipe. 

Roasted Red Pepper and Portobello Lasagna

This is one of our favourites! This absolutely delicious meat-free lasagna combines the heartiness of the roasted portobello with the sweetness of the red pepper. But I really think it is the smoked provolone that distinguishes this lasagna from your regular fare. If you really need that meat in there, we have found that some ground beef mixed in with the sauce is a wonderful addition. 

Photo from LCBO Food & Drink

SAUCE

2 tbsp olive oil

5 cloves garlic 

2 carrots, diced 

2 stalks celery, diced

1 large onion, chopped 

2 tsp oregano 

1/2 tsp hot pepper flakes (add more for desired heat)

2 28oz cans of diced tomatoes

1/2 cup tomato paste

LASAGNA

5-6 portobello mushroom heads

2 tbsp olive poil

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar 

4 large red peppers, roasted (I like to roast my own as opposed to store bought)

360 g lasagna noodles 

3 cups shredded smoked provolone (the secret ingredient)

CHEESE FILLING

2 eggs

475g ricotta cheese 

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil 

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp fresh pepper

SAUCE: In a large pot, heat olive oil and sauté on high heat the garlic, carrots, celery, onion, basil, oregano, and hot pepper flakes for about 8 minutes or until softened. Add tomatoes and paste, reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring often. Let cool slightly and puree until fairly smooth. Taste test and season with salt and pepper if necessary. 

CHEESE MIX: in a medium bowl, whisk eggs until blended, add ricotta, basil, salt and pepper. Set aside

PREP FOR LASAGNA: 

Mushrooms - pre-heat oven to 450 degrees F. Trim the stems from the mushrooms and slice caps into 1/2 inch thick slices. Arrange on a foil-lined baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil and vinegar. Roast for 10 minutes or until tender. Let cool. Chop into smaller pieces if desired.

Red Peppers - pre-heat oven to 450 degrees F. Cut peppers into halves or quarters. Brush with olive oil and arrange in a glass baking dish (outside of peppers facing up). Roast until skins are blackened and lifting away from the flesh. Let cool. Remove skins. Slice into small strips, set aside

Noodles - cook lasagna noodles as per package directions. Of course, I learned the hard way that this is not really necessary. Just bake the lasagna for an extra 15-30 minutes! 

BUILDING LASAGNA

Grease a 13x9 baking dish. Trim lasagna noodles to fit dish as necessary. Spread one cup of sauce into the bottom of the dish. Place noodles along pan. Coat with a second layer of sauce, sprinkle with mushrooms and red peppers, Top with some of the ricotta mixture, and sprinkle some shredded smoked provolone. Repeat layering (I can never follow a standard routine for layering). Top with remaining sauce and shredded provolone. 

Lasagna can be frozen for up to 2 months. Allow 48 hours to defrost. 

Bake at 375 degrees F for 45 minutes with foil cover, uncover and bake for approximately 15 minutes longer or until centre is hot and edges are bubbling. 

If baking from frozen (i.e. did not allow 48 hours for defrosting) bake at 375 degrees F for 2 hours then uncover and bake for an additional 20 minutes. 

Let stand for 10 minutes. Serves 8-10. Pairs well with Folonari Pinot Noir (recipe originally from LCBO Food and Drink) 

Recipe adapted from LCBO Food & Drink

This recipe receives a one whip mixture rating. I did not use a stand mixer for this recipe and don't really see where it would come in useful for a recipe such as this. Unless you are going to make your own pasta, and thats a whole other post!

Last Minute Xmas Appi's: Mini Quiches

With some leftover homemade pastry hanging around, I was able to throw these mini quiches together quickly.

Ingredients

About a quarter batch of my pastry recipe

4 slices of cooked bacon, cut in half lengthwise then cut into small pieces

Shredded Tex Mex or Cheddar cheese

4-5 large eggs

a splash of milk 

pepper

Roll out pastry to quite thin. With a circular cookie cutter, cut round pieces of pastry. Tuck into a mini muffin tin allowing the pastry to pucker, but pushing pastry gently to the sides of the cup. 

Drop bacon pieces in the bottom, using up about 2 slices of bacon per 12 quiches made. Top bacon with cheese. Beat eggs, milk, and pepper together. Pour egg mixture into filled cups. 

Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit until egg is just hard to the touch, the pastry is just starting to brown and pastry is firm enough to slide around the muffin tin. 

Let cool in tray for about 10 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack. Let cool completely. Package quiches up in a air tight container and freeze. 

Re-heat in the oven allowing the pastry to brown a little more and the egg to warm to an enjoyable temperature. 

This recipe receives a mixer rating of 3 whips - to make the pastry by hand would be a pain! Much easier to do with the stand mixer. 

Oreo Caramel Brownie Bombs

“With a bottom layer of soft chocolate chip cookie, which is topped by broken Oreos and gobs of caramel before a layer of soft chocolaty brownie, it's no wonder that this one ticks a lot of boxes for dessert and sweet lovers.” Rock Recipes, www.nlrockrecipes.com

Ingredients

Chocolate Chip Base

WET

1/2 cup butter 

1 cup brown sugar 

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla

DRY

1 cup + 3 Tbsp flour

1 tsp baking powder 

1/8 tsp baking soda

1/2 cup chocolate chips

Oreo Layer

18 Oreo Cookies 

3/4 cup toffee or caramel pieces (or 24 caramel squares)

Brownie Top

DRY

3/4 cup flour 

2 tsp cocoa powder 

1/4 tsp salt

WET

1/2 cup butter

5 squares of unsweetened baker's chocolate

3/4 cup granulated sugar 

1/4 cup brown sugar 

3 large eggs 

1tsp vanilla

Directions

Choc Chip Base: In your stand mixer, cream butter and brown sugar together until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla, beat on medium until well mixed. In a separate bowl, sift together dry ingredients. Add to creamed mixture folding to combine well. Fold in chocolate chips. Spread in a greased 9x13 baking pan.

Brownie Top: Sift together dry ingredients. In a small pot, melt together butter and chocolate over low heat. Remove pot and stir in sugars. When lukewarm, add eggs and vanilla. Stir until sugars are dissolved. Mix wet and dry together.

Baking and Assembly: Set the oven to 350 degrees (325 degrees if using glass baking pan) Bake the choc. Chip base for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and top with Oreo Layer ingredients. Pour brownie mixture on top and spread evenly. Return to oven and bake for another 15-20 minutes or until brownie layer no longer looks glossy and is slightly firm to the touch. Remove from oven, cool completely. Cut into squares. 

Really, the only part that I used the stand mixer for was to cream the butter and the brown sugar together for the chocolate chip cookies. This could have been easily achieved with a hand-held mixer or even the old-fashioned way with a good solid forearm.